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Ellen Bennett

2020 Speaker
Ellen Bennett

ELLEN BENNETT is the founder and CEO of Hedley & Bennett, a Los Angeles based apron and work wear company. Bennett started the company at twenty-five while working as a line cook at a two Michelin star restaurant in LA. She realized the drab, essentially disposable aprons that served as their uniforms needed a major upgrade. Reimagining aprons and clothing with feedback from her fellow culinary compatriots, Hedley & Bennett now outfits some of the most prominent chefs and makers in the world, outfitting thousands of restaurants worldwide. With a ninety percent female workforce, as well as a female owned business, Hedley & Bennett has been featured in Fast Company, Inc., on the Today Show and MSNBC as an American success story. Bennett has grown Hedley & Bennett into a multimillion-dollar kitchen-wear empire with its “Proper Bad Ass Aprons” and fans like Danny Meyer and Martha Stewart.